Absorbent articles, such as sanitary napkins are known that have protrusions exhibiting cushioning properties on the skin contact surface of the top sheet, for suitable fitting with the body of the wearer. Having protrusions on the skin contact surface of the top sheet allows the protrusions to more suitably fit the body of the wearer to help prevent fluid leakage even when the body of the wearer has moved.
In PTL 1, for example, there is described an absorbent article designed to provide an excellent fitting property and leakproofness, wherein the absorbent body deforms into a curved protruding shape toward the skin of the wearer during wear.
The absorbent article described in PTL 1 is an absorbent article having the following construction: a liquid-permeable front sheet, a liquid-impermeable back sheet and a liquid-retaining absorbent body situated between these sheets, and formed in an essentially longitudinal fashion, the absorbent body having recesses on the surface of the back sheet side at the center section in the widthwise direction while also having a pair of grooves extending in the lengthwise direction on the surface of the front sheet side at the sections located on both sides of the recesses, the recesses being formed by reducing the basis weight of the structural material of the absorbent body relative to the other sections, and the widths of the recesses being 5 to 30 mm.
Also, paragraph [0015] of PTL 1 describes the absorbent body as being constructed mainly of pulp fiber.